Garage installation



2,&18,607

Jan. 7, 1958 v. MAISSEN GARAGE INSTALLATION 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May11, 1954 INVENT OR V Maissen ATTORNEYS Jan. 7, 1958 v. MAISSEN GARAGEINSTALLATION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 11, 1954 INVENTOR V Matisse/ 2ATTORNEYS Jan. 7, 1958 v. MAISSEN 2,818,607

' GARAGE INSTALLATION Filed May 11, 1954 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VENTORT/jfaz'sseiz ATTORNEYS United States Patent GARAGE INSTALLATIONVenantius Maissen, Chur, Switzerland Application May 11, 1954, SerialNo. 429,091

Claims priority, application Switzerland May 11, 1953 2 Claims. (01.20-113 With the increasing use or" motor vehicles, the difiiculties ofparking and garaging become more urgent. There is therefore a steadilyincreasing need of a comparatively cheap garage which, for instance,could be built underground underneath a house. The same applies to thegarages in the narrower sense, which accommodate a larger number ofvehicles.

In the past, the plan of a garage space was generally shaped like apolygon. Experience has shown that buildings of this type are expensiveand require much space. It is also diflicult for vehicles to enter orleave these garages, particularly because the available space formaneuvering in the garage is in most cases limited. An additionaldisadvantage which also had the effect of increasing the cost, was thenecessary reinforcement and support of the walls or the ceiling, whichhad to be arranged so that a reasonably satisfactory maneuvering spacecould be made available. Large ceiling spans are too expensive and aretherefore excluded, particularly for garages underneath houses.

The object of the present invention is a garage installation which iscomparatively cheap to build but can accommodate a large number ofvehicles with convenient entrance and exit conditions. The installationis particularly suitable as a basement of an office block or as amulti-story garage.

The invention is essentially a monolithic casing provided along itscircumference with boxes separated by vertical radial partitions. Theboxes open radially into a maneuvering space, and the partitions do notextend into this space. The walls of the monolithic casing and thepartitions separating the boxes mutually support each other and are madeof reinforced concrete.

The drawing shows an example of a design of the object of the presentinvention.

Fig. l is a vertical section through a two-story installation, with highbuildings partly built over the area,

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the upper floor of thisinstallation,

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the lower floor of thisinstallation, and

Fig. 4 shows another design of this installation and is a horizontalsection through it,

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section through Fig. 6, along the line VV,showing a further design of this invention,

Fig. 6 is a vertical section along the line Vl-Vl of Fig. 5, on a largerscale.

The garage installation shown in Figs. 1 to 3 consists of a monolithicclosed structure. The number 1 denotes the cylindrical outer wall of thestructure, which forms also the outer wall of boxes 2 arranged like aring inside it. The radial partitions 3 form the boundaries between theboxes. These partitions, together with the outer wall, form thereinforcing structure carrying the ceilings 4. The partitions of theupper story are in the same positions as the partitions of the lowerstory. The boxes 2 face a central maneuvering space 5. The sides of theboxes facing this space are open, and can be closed by 2,818,607Patented Jan. 7, 1958 means "of a gate. The diameter of the cylindricalouter wall 1 may be, =fo1' instance, 24 to 30 metres, while theindividual boxes 2 are about 6 to 7 metres long and 3 to 6 metres wide.The numeral 6 denotes the entrance and exit 'of'th'e upper story. Thisis connected with the lower story by imeans of a connecting ramp 7. Boththe upper and the lower story of the garage installation are incommunication with various rooms and facilities required'for a fairlylarge garage installation, such as lavatories, washrooms, repair shop,filling station, lift etc. The garage installation shown here isprovided with a heating installation and also with a ventilatinginstallation of the climatic control type. Owing to the heat radiationfrom the ground, a greatly reduced heating installation suffices for asubterranean garage installation.

If the garage .installationis arranged like a tower, the various storiesare connected by at least one lift or by means of approach ramps.

Fig. 4 shows an installation with two opposite approach ramps 6.

In Figs. 5 and 6, .1 denotes again the cylindrical outer wall of acasing which completely encloses the building. Inside this casing thereare two further concentric cylindrical walls, the intermediate wall 8and the inner wall '9, with some space between them. Thus, these wallsform an outer concentric annular space 10, a smaller intermediateconcentric annular space 11 and a round inner space 12. 2 denotes theboxes arranged like a ring on the inside of the outer wall. Theintermediate wall 8 is also pro vided with similar boxes 2 inside andoutside. The boxes 2 are arranged on the outside of the inner wall 9.The concentric inner space 12 is not provided with boxes and serves as aworkshop. It is convenient to equip this workshop with a hydraulicallyoperated vehicle lift 13 to lift the motor cars. The entrance 14 leadsto the inner space. A passage 15 is built into the intermediate wall, inline with the approach-exit drive 6 and the entrance 14. The passage isbounded laterally by curbstones 16. The traffic island 17, triangular inplan, is situated in the approach-exit drive.

The boxes 2., 2 and 2 are again bounded at the sides by radial partitionwalls 3, as already described, these partition walls forming with thewalls a reinforcing supporting structure for the ceilings and floors 4,4, which are most conveniently made of reinforced concrete.

The cells 2 and 2' face the annular space 10, used as a traffic lane andas a space for turning the cars. The boxes 2' and 2" face the annularspace 11 and are open towards this space. In the plan view the shape ofthe boxes 2, 2 and 2" is trapezoidal, and the vehicles are parked inthem.

The example shown here represents a large underground garageinstallation. The ceiling 4, shaped like a disk, could be the basementof a building and the floor 4 the foundation.

It is immediately obvious that a considerable number of motor vehiclescan be stored in a confined area in this radial garaging space composedof concentric annular spaces; many more than in the usual arrangement instraight rows.

The direction of the traffic in the spaces inside the garage isindicated by the arrows 18 (Fig. 5).

The partitions 3 of the boxes do not extend into the annular spaces 10,11, which are intended for driving and turning. Obviously, this garageinstallation does not necessarily have to be situated underneath abuilding, it can also be situated elsewhere underground, for instance,underneath an open space with traffic moving above.

The monolithic casing of the structure, made of reinforced concrete, isgiven a cylindrical shape because this shape is (next to the sphere)most economical, as

far as the ratio of material used to volume enclosed is concerned, andit also possesses excellent strength properties. The central maneuveringspace, with the annular arrangement of the boxes, facing the maneuveringspace with their open ends, is most convenient for the approach anddeparture of the vehicles.

Owing to the round shape of the outer wall, together with the radialportions, which also serve as supporting elements, the completestructure is so strong, due to the balanced stifiening, that even if theconcrete is not reinforced with steel, the structure can resistextremely high earth pressures (which may be partly due to adjacent highbuildings). Therefore, if the garage is situated underground, the groundabove can be covered if desired with high buildings. Alternatively, thetop can be used for other purposes, such as gardens, playgrounds and thelike.

The installation can be built with one or several stories, above groundas a tower of (if, for example, land is scarce) underground or partlyunderground.

The type of entrance-approach ramps of various types or any kind ofliftdepends on the given circumstances.

This garage installation is also suitable for being built into or onterraced sites, where access and exit can be arranged above and below.

The garage installation has unlimited possibilities in the arrangementsof approaches and entrances. Direct access, vertical entrances withlifts or ramps, indirect approaches through distant entrances located inother buildings, approaches from below or from a level slightly lowerthan the floor level of the garage (for installations in embankments),and approaches communicating with existing subways for motor vehicles orunderground automobile repair shops can be arranged.

If the spaces in the building are suitably dimensioned, the garage canbe designed as a multipurpose building, so that it could be used as awarehouse, cold stores, laboratory, air raid shelter etc., in case itsmain purpose, the garaging and parking of motor vehicles, loses itsimportance.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a nowpreferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understoodby those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, thatvarious changes and modifications may be made without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention and it is intended, therefore, tocover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a building for storage purposes, a casing having an integralstructure; said casing comprising a cylindrical outer side wall, aplanar floor joined to the base of said wall, a fiat continuousdisc-shaped ceiling joined to the top edge of said wall, one or morehorizontally extending disc-shaped intermediate layers definingsuperjacent stories, each of said stories having a plurality of spacedbearing partitions extending radially inwardly from said outer wall andjoining opposed horizontal layers, said partitions terminating at afixed distance inwardly of the wall to define a central circularmaneuvering space in each story; at least one opening from the outsideof the casing communicating with the circular space in one of saidlayers, and ramp means joining the maneuvering space of each of saidstories.

2. A storage building as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ramp meanscomprises an extension of the trapezoidal shaped space defined by anadjacent pair of radial bearing partitions, said ramp extension being'arcuate in configuration and forming with said trapezoidal shaped spacea tear-drop shaped turning area, thereby providing movement from onestory to another with minimum loss of storage space.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FranceFeb. 13, 1928

